We weren’t taking the usual route to his home.
“It’s a surprise, Ella.”
I loved surprises. “Okay.”
My gaze fixed on the rushing scenery, I settled more comfortably in my seat, recalling the moment from twenty minutes ago with perverse pleasure.
Cade had opened the car door for me and just as I sat down, I noticedELLAstitched in the leather headrest. It was a new addition. Cade chuckled boyishly, seeing the stars in my eyes. “You like that, huh?”
I nodded shamelessly. “I love it. No one gets to sit in this seat but me, okay?”
He’d kissed me and murmured against my lips, “No one else ever will, Ella. It’s yours.”
It pleased the territorial monster inside of me.
I missed being a passenger princess, as much as I missed watching Cade drive. There was something so attractive about him behind the wheel. The way he handled such a powerful car with ease while holding my hand, pecking my knuckles like he was starved for my touch.
It wasn’t long before Cade pulled into an underground parking lot of a sleek building.
“What are we doing here?” I asked when be helped me out of the Ferrari.
He grinned. “You’ll know in a minute.”
We walked towards an elevator. Cade swiped a keycard and we headed to the top floor. A few seconds later, there was a loud ping and the doors opened. He ushered me inside with a hand on my back.
It was dark inside, save for the moonlight seeping through the floor-to-ceiling windows lining the entire loft-style penthouse. A conversational pit sat in the middle like a centerpiece and an unlit fireplace to our left.
“Did you…buy this place?”
“I bought this place for you, Ella.” Cade kissed my cheek. “For us.”
I gasped. “When?”
“A few months ago. After you mentioned wanting to live together one day.”
I felt undone by the love this man bore for me. I wished I had more words to convey what I felt for him—what I would never stop feeling for him.
“Cade.” I threw my arms around his shoulders and he immediately placed his hands on my hips, tugging me deeper into him. “I don’t know what to say.”
“Do you like it?”
This was exactly how I pictured our first place. He put in the work and gave us our dream home. “It’s perfect.”
“Remember when I sent you gifts for your birthday this past summer? There was a keycard in there. It was for here.”
I did remember seeing a keycard in those packages. It was probably stuffed somewhere in my drawers with the rest of his offerings.
Cade and me were both August babies with his birthday a few days prior to mine. I felt awful that I hadn’t gotten him anything. Granted, I was overcome by my grief and pain. And I didn’t know the truth about that night like I knew now.
But still.
“I didn’t get you a birthday present,” I said regretfully. “I’m sorry, Cade. Tell me what you want—anything—and it’s yours.”
“Everything I want is right here.” He kissed my right eyelid. “My whole world is in my arms. I don’t need anything else, Ella.”
“I love you so much.” I buried my face in his chest, tightening my arms around him. His heartbeat was my personal lullaby. “No more time apart, Cade.”
“I love you too.” He kissed the top of my head. “No more time apart, Ella.”
